McDonald's Marketing Strategy Analysis

This assignment requires a comprehensive analysis of McDonald's marketing strategy. Students must utilize the SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) framework to evaluate the company's current position within the market. The analysis should delve into McDonald's strengths and weaknesses, as well as identify relevant opportunities and threats in the external environment. Furthermore, students are expected to discuss the effectiveness of McDonald's marketing strategies based on their SWOT analysis and provide insights into potential areas for improvement.

Running Head: MARKETING MANAGEMENT AND DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS 1
Marketing Management and Digital Communications
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Executive Summary
The sustainability of business organizations relies on the effectiveness of their marketing
management. A marketing plan is one of the key aspects that help companies to market their
products effectively. This paper focuses on Samsung Leader 8 smartphone model. The phone is
produced by Samsung Electronics, one of the leading phone and general electronic manufacturer
in the world. The paper analyses its market environment through the use of SWOT analysis,
discusses its mission and sets the marketing and financial goals. The report also discusses how
the company can apply the marketing mix strategy to succeed in achieving these aims. Besides,
the paper establishes the best action programs and how they can be implemented in the effective
way possible. Thus, the paper is useful in helping Samsung attain its objectives in the sale of
Samsung Leader 8.

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Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................4
Samsung Leader 8........................................................................................................................4
Steps in Writing a Marketing Plan...............................................................................................4
SWOT Analysis...............................................................................................................................4
Strengths.......................................................................................................................................5
Weaknesses..................................................................................................................................5
Opportunities................................................................................................................................5
Threats..........................................................................................................................................6
Competitor Analysis........................................................................................................................6
Mission............................................................................................................................................6
Marketing and Financial Objectives................................................................................................7
The Marketing Mix Strategy...........................................................................................................7
Price.............................................................................................................................................7
Promotion.....................................................................................................................................7
Product.........................................................................................................................................8
Place.............................................................................................................................................8
Action Programs..............................................................................................................................8
Implementing and Controlling the Marketing Plan.........................................................................8
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................9
References......................................................................................................................................10

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Introduction
Samsung Leader 8
Samsung Electronics is a South Korean company that deals in mobile phones and the
general electronics. The company produces most of the world's powerful phones which are used
by many people from different parts of the world. The company has recently manufactured
Samsung Leader 8 product. This is a Smartphone with dual screen flip and some classic
keyboard. The phone has a rear camera of 12MP and a front camera of 5MP. Thus it is robust
and fit enough to satisfy the customer's needs of camera needs. Samsung Leader 8 also has
programmable hotkeys. Regarding its way of charging, the phone has a new feature of wireless
charging unlike most of the phones in the market. Therefore, Samsung Leader 8 seems to be a
perfect product to meet most the current market needs of smartphones.
Steps in Writing a Marketing Plan
Successful marketing of every company's product relies on the effectiveness of the
marketing plan. Marketing that has been implemented well must contain information that reveals
that current marketing state of the organization and the possible strategies that can effectively
reach the market. The plan has the aims and objectives of developing the market brand
awareness for Samsung Leader 8 in Australia. This is important for the Samsung because it will
help it attain a bigger market ratio in the country (Kaplan & Norton, 2008).
The plan also establishes the possible market opportunities and the threats for Samsung
Leader 8. This has been achieved through the application of SWOT analysis which provides
important market information to help the company succeed in the endeavor. The plan has set the
marketing and financial objectives for Samsung Leader 8 which is an important aspect in
directing and targeting in the course. Further, the plan establishes the various marketing mix
strategies that likely improve the sales of Samsung Leader 8 in the market. Thus, the paper is
critical to help Samsung attain many sales of Samsung L8 in the Australian market.

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SWOT Analysis
In analyzing the internal business situation of Samsung, SWOT analysis seems to be a fit
tool to unveil the current market opportunities, the threats, opportunities, and strengths. SWOT is
powerful in helping the organization's management understand the environment (Lee & Law,
2012). Thus, the organization's leaders will be in a good position to make the best decisions for
the marketing of the product (Ghazinoory, Abdi and Azadegan-Mehr, 2011).
Strengths
In SWOT analysis, strengths refer to the aspects that lie within the business organization
that can be helpful to the company and makes it stay above other market industry players (Kim,
Hayes, Avant & Reid, 2014). Samsung has many strengths internally that can be helpful to the
sale of Samsung Leader 8. Firstly, Samsung is the most successful company in production of the
phones and the general electronics in the world. The company has an already established brand
name both in Australia and the rest of the world. This is a strength of this organization. Secondly,
Samsung an already established market share. The company has a share of more than 21% of the
world phone market thus, a strength aspect for the success of the company in marketing the
Samsung Leader 8 in Australia. Besides, Samsung has an advantage of its heavy investment in
the research and development. This is important and helps the company develop what is fit for
the market (Koen, Bertels & Elsum, 2011).
Weaknesses
There are various factors within Samsung environment that present challenges to its
operation. Firstly, the Samsung Leader 8 seems weaker and not robust enough in the market
compared to smartphones from other industry players. Some of this smartphone makers include
Apple, which has stayed ahead of Samsung for quite an extended period. Thus, has never
managed to match the bigger market share and robustness of Apple's smartphones. Other
companies that compete Samsung include many Chinese companies, such as Huawei which
offers smart phone alternatives in Australia. Also, Samsung Leader 8 depends on the Google
Android which is an open source operating system for this phone, making it inferior to Apple's

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IOS Devices. Besides, the marketing strategies employed by Samsung are not as robust as those
used by Apple (Yuece, 2012).
Opportunities
Samsung Leader 8 has many opportunistic factors that that can be used in improving its
sales in Australia. Firstly, high current market demand for the smartphones presents an
opportunity to increase the sales of Samsung Leader 8. Smartphones are currently trending in
Australia and other parts of the world. Also, there is an increased demand for the general phones
and tablets thus an opportunity to sell Samsung Leader 8. It is also evident that there is a big
opportunity for the sale of Samsung Leader 8 which comes from the increased online market.
Currently, phone and tablet companies enjoy more sales to the market in Australia and other
parts of the world through the use of the online store. There is a growing market of customers
who will buy the phone online using internet from wherever they will be located (Valax, 2012).
Threats
Just like other companies, Samsung also faces threats to its business from different
aspects. The main threats to Samsung's Leader 8 are the competition from other industry players.
Apple Inc. presents a great competition to Samsung because of commonly known robust IOS
(Vrontis & Pavlou, 2008). Also, the company's Samsung Leader 8 relies on Google's open-
source Android operating system. Thus, this presents a threat to the organization (Helms &
Nixon, 2010).
Competitor Analysis
Samsung Leader 8 faces competition from other industry players. The main competitor is
the iPhone produced by Apple. The company has an established robust brand name more than
Samsung thus giving competition to Leader 8. Also, there are many companies from China such
as Huawei who produce smartphones that suit the customers in Australia and then sells them at a
lower price. This has brought about competition in the market.
Mission

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A mission is the company's statement which explains its core functions, the market it
targets, the reason why it exists and the organization's competitive advantages in the market. The
mission statement is important and helps to communicate valuable information to its
stakeholders. Samsung has a mission statement embedded in its philosophy which states a
devotion of the company's talent and technology to produce products which are superior in the
market contributing to a better global society. Thus, this mission communicates useful
information to all the stakeholders of this organization (Hollensen, 2010).
Marketing and Financial Objectives
There are three main marketing objectives that this plan seeks to achieve. Firstly, it aims
at creating the brand awareness of Samsung's Leader 8 in Australia and the rest of the world.
Secondly, the plan aims to establish the potential market opportunities for Samsung Leader 8 that
exist in Australia. The third marketing objective is to analyze the market competition that exists
in the Australian Smartphone industry. These objectives are important and will help Samsung get
a direction and focus on the aspects that need to be realized in the endeavor. Therefore, these
aims and objectives act as a driver in the exercise (Mintz & Currim, 2013).
The plan also has three financial objectives. The first financial goal is to increase the
organization's income within the next six months. It seeks to find the appropriate strategies that
Samsung can employ to attain more revenue. The second financial objective is to achieve a wider
profit margin on the sales of the Samsung Leader 8 within the next six months. It attempts to
establish best strategies to ensure that the organization reaps the most out from the disposal of
the phones. The third objective of this plan is to maximize the number of Samsung Leader 8
devices sold in the next six months. Thus, attaining the financial goals is greatly dependant on
the degree to which the marketing objectives have been achieved.
The Marketing Mix Strategy

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Price
The price refers to the amount that the customer pays for the product. Price strategy is
one of the key aspects that the organization can use to achieve its financial objectives (Fernie and
Moore, 2013). The price of Samsung Leader 8 should be set to be fair to the customers and also
be what the company can make a profit. There is need to do price skimming for the Samsung
Leader 8. At the launch, the price should be set higher and then reduced as time goes by.
Promotion
Product promotion is one of the inevitable aspects of the successful marketing of a given
product (Coman and Ronen, 2009). The various promotion mix that will be employed in the sale
of the Samsung Leader 8 includes online promotions, whereby the company will reach the online
community from different parts of the world. Besides, the company will use word of mouth to
reach other people in the country and also through sponsorship programs (Hartmann, Nair &
Narayanan, 2011).
Product
Samsung can use the aspect of the product to win a huge market share in the industry
(Henry, 2011). The company should launch the product in different colors to attract people of
various color likes. Besides Samsung Leader 8 shall have other accessories like the earphones
and headphones to attract many customers.
Place
Place defines the point where the transaction takes place. The company should make a
distribution strategy of initially making the product available at the active economic zones and
then to the lower ones. This strategy will help the company increase the sale of the phone to
people of different economic status (Deng, 2009).
Action Programs
There are various activities that Samsung can employ to enhance the marketing mix
strategies for their effectiveness. Regarding place or distribution, the company should focus on
enhancing the online sales through E-commerce. The organization should also increase the

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promotions using the digital sources such as Facebook and Twitter and also through their
website.
Another action program that can help Samsung to achieve its financial objectives is
through designing a plan where the sales team move from place to place within Australia.
Reaching people in person will leave a greater impact in this marketing exercise. Therefore,
Samsung should run different programs to enhance the effectiveness of the exercise and thus,
attain its financial and marketing objectives (Chase, Mackillop & Hogarth, 2013).
The Implementation and Control of the Marketing Plan
Implementation of the marketing plan is one of the key aspects that must be effectively
considered for to achieve the marketing and the financial objectives of the company. Successful
implementation of the plan relies on how well the marketing team is managed. There should be a
clear role distribution in the team so that people handle specific responsibilities. Also, the
implementation needs a regular communication strategy which is a critical aspect of
effectiveness. Also, a way to exercise control in the exercise, regular monitoring and evaluation
should be conducted to establish the state of the practice regularly.
Conclusion
In conclusion, every business organization needs a marketing for effective marketing of
its products. An effective marketing plan should analyze the business environment, to reveal the
critical information required to make decisions and take appropriate strategies. There is need to
come up with both marketing and financial objectives and thus, implement action programs that
will help the company succeed in the sale of products. Thus, a marketing plan is critical to the
success of sales for any product or service.

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References
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weaknesses. International Journal of the Production Research, 47(20), pp. 5677-5689.
Deng, T. (2009). McDonald's new communication strategy on the changing attitudes and the
lifestyle. International Journal of Marketing Studies, 1(1), pp. 37-39.
Fernie, S. & Moore, C. (2013). Principles of Retailing. Abingdon: Routledge.
Ghazinoory, S., Abdi, M. & Azadegan-Mehr, M. (2011). SWOT methodology: A state-of-the-art
review for past, a framework for the future. Journal of Business Economics and
Management, 12(1), pp. 24-48.

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Hartmann, W., Nair, H. & Narayanan, S. (2011). Identifying Casual Marketing Mix Effects
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